HER fascination with kookaburras apparently dates back to when she forced Nicole Kidman to mimic the native bird's infectious laugh.

And maybe it's the dated lyrics of the folk song, which notes how "gay (their) life must be'' which tickles her fancy, but in the moment of her Sydney taping yesterday, Ellen DeGeneres got to hear what all the jokes have been about.

Just minutes after telling the crowd she was desperate to hear the famous call of a "kook-o-borrow'' came the unmistakable sound of a lone kingfisher, who had serendipitously come to rest atop the stage scaffolding.

It was a happy note to end the one-hour show, filmed under a blaze of extreme, energy-zapping, 30-degree midday sunshine.

Whether it was the heat or a lack of rehearsal time, the TV queen seemed, at times, to be on Los Angeles time, swallowed up by the vastness of the outdoor stage (purpose-built for the large scale Opera Australia production of Carmen).

But for the screaming diehards who had lined up outside the Royal Botanic Gardens gates from midnight to see their TV favourite, the close encounter was enough to keep them on their feet and dancing for the duration of the show.

A VIP appearance by Russell Crowe, who arrived in 007-style by boat, immediately added some spice to proceedings, after presenting DeGeneres and her wife Portia with matching stock whips.

Noting her curiousity at the kinky gifts, Crowe explained they may come in handy to round up wild brumbies when the couple venture south to Melbourne on the next leg of their Aussie tour from Monday.

The naughty moment wasn't missed by DeGeneres who quipped: "oh good, we were only just saying 'I hope we get matching whips when we're down there.'''

Continuing the cheeky theme, The Ellen Show's official underwear model, Mike helped his fearless leader find a local equivalent, inviting five buff blokes from around the country to compete for her affections.

Decked out in fluoro pink boy leg briefs, the muscled-up men were quizzed by DeGeneres in a male version of the Miss Australia pageant - dumb questions included.

To one hopeful she asked 'why should I pick you?' and he replied: "because I'm six foot two and all for you.''

Other contestants didn't do much better when it came to raising the world's expectations of our national IQ.

A simple 'Finish This Lyric' contest, with clues sung by The Sapphires star Jessica Mauboy, was exasperating even for Ellen, with university student William Yee clueless when it came to knowing the words to Men At Work's Down Under or Kylie Minogue's Locomotion (he scored $500 for his troubles).

Putting their harbour vantage point to good use, producers set up the show's signature 'Know Or Go' challenge - where fans answer questions or get dunked - directly over the water.

On the receiving end of her trademark generosity, Sydney couple and health workers Maddie and Patrick, were gifted $10,000 from Swisse to help pay off their student loans.

It was second-time lucky for the pair, who had tried to win their way to The Ellen Show when she did a live cross from the steps of the Sydney Opera House in February.

That prize went to brothers Julian and Dailius Wilson and Carly Heading, who all joined in the fun yesterday.

The fast-paced production allowed little time for DeGeneres to do the kind of crowd bonding she's built her brand on and, once that kookaburra called, she was gone.

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